


The Newlywed Game

by SilentStarlightSky



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M, Gen, Humor, Light-Hearted, Romance, SeeD mission, Silly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-05-28 04:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19386922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentStarlightSky/pseuds/SilentStarlightSky
Summary: General Caraway contracts SeeD to go on an undercover mission in Deling City to uncover a ring of recent kidnappings centered around wealthy married women.  Rinoa isn't happy to be left behind on Caraway and Squall's insistence, especially when Squall and Quistis are pretending to be a married couple.  (Squinoa, but also SquallxQuistis, IrvinexSelphie, and poor Zell is on his own.)





	1. The Mission

Midmorning sun filtered into the room through the windows. Although the day was wonderfully bright and sunny Squall found himself in the same place he always was at that time, in his office working hard. He didn't mind hard work, but he still preferred the kind where his gunblade skills were used. At least that way he got some physical exercise, and then he didn't have to worry about constantly staying fit. Being a gunblade specialist would be completely useless if he wasn't strong enough to lift the heavy thing.

Squall almost had to stifle a sigh as he looked over at the mounting pile of papers sitting on his wooden desk. He sat and sifted through them all. He'd been going over a pile of SeeD requests that had been coming from all over the globe. Although Ultimecia had been defeated nearly a year ago, there was still a lot of unrest. A vacuum of power had been left in her wake. Many regional skirmishes over boundary lines had popped up in addition to the overflow of monsters left from the Lunar Cry. SeeD was in high demand, and consequently he was extremely busy.

His fingers clutched at another stack of papers, but his blue-gray eyes kept flicking between mission requests and the figure sleeping peacefully on his office couch with a book half open beside her.

He checked the clock. It was 10:30 am.

_Rinoa's midmorning nap strikes again,_ he thought to himself.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds in the room were those of papers rustling and her rhythmic breathing. He was trying to sort the mission requests in terms of urgency and monetary reimbursement for Garden, but he was getting distracted by her. She was curled up on her side with her face pressed into the black leather of the couch, somehow making an aesthetically pleasing lump. Her soft breathy snores were calming him and lulling him to sleep, but he needed to stay sharp and focused. He couldn't take a nap any more than he could waste time staring at her rosy face. He had too many things to do.

Maybe if Rinoa was awake, she could help him sort these missions. It wouldn't be that hard for her, and he'd be the one to make the final call. Technically she shouldn't be helping like that because she wasn't military, but she had a lot of free time and he could use an assistant. He had enough military style SeeD training for the both of them.

While Squall sat pondering whether or not to dare wake a sleeping Rinoa, his office phone rang. The ring was high and clear, louder than any wake-up alarm. Her breathing got restless and her body started to turn over slightly with an annoyed groan. Squall watched her quietly and waited for the phone to ring a few more times before taking it off the receiver carefully.

"Commander Leonhart speaking," he said tonelessly, breaking the room's near silence.

Few people had a direct line to his office, so it was either from someone within Garden or an important military official or dignitary. The voice on the other end was instantly familiar. Squall steeled himself. It was a confident and authoritative tone that was unmistakable as any other than General Fury Caraway's.

"Commander, I'm calling on behalf of Deling City," Caraway stated.

_Rinoa's father. Maybe she would want to listen to this._

Squall licked his dry lips and reached out to press the speaker button on the phone.

"Deling City is making a request for SeeD," Caraway's voice resonated through the speaker.

Squall nodded, although Caraway couldn't see it.

Rinoa had started to wake up. Before she was just stirring, but now Squall could see that her head was turned to listen to the phone conversation. Her sleepy, half-lidded eyes met his. He lifted his finger to his lips to signify for Rinoa to remain silent. Her dark eyebrows raised in confusion at hearing the sound of her father's voice. Any interactions between the Commander and the General had been tense at best. She waited with bated breath.

_Well, I dared to let her sleep get disturbed, hopefully I won't regret this,_ Squall thought.

He knew that the relationship between Rinoa and her father had been strained for a long time. He didn't like the man personally, but he respected his command abilities.

"There have been a series of kidnappings of wealthy women, and the local police have not been able to apprehend the culprits. The motivation seems to be solely for ransom money. The women who did not have the ransom money raised on their behalf have been brutally beaten and dumped in the Dingo Desert. Luckily, none of the women have died, but that could change at any time. The news outlets have warned women to stay indoors or travel in groups. The local citizenry are getting to be very uneasy about this, and the local government decided that we should bring SeeD in before this gets further out of hand. The citizens need their peace of mind."

Caraway's speech sounded rehearsed. The substance was all there, but Squall was unsure if he was purposely leaving some piece of information out.

This proposed mission seemed more intriguing than the usual monster hunting jobs they had been getting lately. He probably shouldn't assign it to any of the newer rookie SeeDs. Actually, he'd love to get away from his desk for awhile.

"I understand that this is a concern for your city sir," Squall responded with interest. "I'll need a more in-depth proposal for SeeD before we can draw up a contract for you, but it sounds like a mission I would... I mean, Garden would accept."

"Yes, I'll have an information docket sent over for your approval Leonhart. Then we can get down to business and catch these kidnappers."

"Any suspects?" Squall asked.

A long awkward pause followed.

"No..." Caraway replied. Squall thought that there was more to the answer, but felt it wasn't the time or place to press him further. "Oh and Leonhart, I've heard rumors that my daughter is over at Garden with you, and I don't think I should have to say this... but I will. I do NOT want her involved in this mission, she doesn't need to be endangered."

Rinoa shot up from the couch and approached Squall's desk. She'd been progressively paying more attention as she woke up.

"I can take care of myself CARAWAY!" she yelled hotly into the speaker phone. Her voice clearly had the deep huskiness of sleep still in it.

Squall put his hand up to his face, knowing that nothing good would come of this conversation once she'd started yelling. He didn't even want Caraway to know she was listening.

"Well, I see the rumors are indeed true. Leonhart, I insist that you don't involve her with this mission. I'm hiring SeeD to do this to protect young women like her, and I won't stand by and have her put in harm's way... no matter what life choices she's made for herself," he said severely.

"You're unbelievable!" Rinoa started before being interrupted by Squall.

Squall's one choice was to quickly end the conversation and hope that Rinoa didn't get too mad at him. He hated to do it but he had to agree with Caraway's assessment of the situation.

"We are in agreement sir," Squall responded. "I will be waiting for the information to be emailed to me. I'll keep in touch. Goodbye."

Squall reached out and hastily ended the call. He pressed his finger down so hard on the button that the phone fell off the receiver with a loud clatter. His hands quickly worked to fix the phone before turning towards Rinoa, who was now seething with rage.

"I can't believe you are agreeing with THAT MAN! What right do either of you have to tell me what I can and can't do?!" Rinoa said.

"Rinoa, he's hiring SeeD for a mission. You aren't SeeD. There's nothing to be angry about," Squall stated while hoping that her anger would cool off. If anybody pushed against her, she made sure to push back. He wanted to make the decision seem rational and not personal, which it partially was. He kept his mind shut to her so she couldn't sense his worry.

It wasn't that he wanted to side with Caraway against her. They both were just concerned about her safety. Squall genuinely cared about her, and Caraway was concerned about his own daughter on some level. It was hard to discern what his motivations were. Whether from familial affection or protecting his own reputation, he certainly didn't want his own daughter being a target in his city.

Rinoa's dark eyes continued to glare at Squall. He pretended to be looking down at his papers for a few minutes, but she didn't budge from her spot. He finally heaved out a sigh and looked up at her.

"Rin, please don't fight over this. You aren't a SeeD. Trained SeeDs would be the best choice to get this situation quickly and efficiently handled. More women don't need to be kidnapped and beaten."

Those were logical statements. Hopefully she wouldn't argue with straightforward logic.

Rinoa started to soften at the thought of the kidnapped women. She had a kindhearted nature, and she wanted the women of Deling City to be safe. Squall was right, she wasn't a SeeD and she didn't have their specific training. Her father had just rubbed her the wrong way, as usual.

"Well, even if I won't be going on the mission, can I at least listen in on your planning process?"

"Fine," Squall agreed. He was happy that she calmed down so quickly.

A little dinging sound on his computer alerted him to the fact that Caraway had emailed him an attachment with the necessary information. Squall clicked into it and started reading. Rinoa walked around his desk and leaned into his shoulder to read along. Her long hair fell over Squall's neck, tickling him and filling his nose with the scent of her shampoo. He kept silent and ignored the distraction. His eyebrows furrowed as he started formulating a mission plan. This would definitely be much more interesting than hunting monsters.

* * *

A few hours later Squall called Quistis, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine up to his office to discuss the upcoming mission. Rinoa sat on his leather couch while the others crowded around his desk. Out of the entire group, only Squall and Quistis were wearing SeeD uniforms. Everybody else was wearing their everyday casual wear.

"General Caraway has made a request for SeeD on behalf of Deling City. Women have been getting kidnapped, and we need to find and stop the kidnappers. I've been reviewing the information about this case, and it appears that all of the victims are young wealthy women. Once they've been kidnapped, the demands for ransom are sent to their husbands or families. If the demands are not met, the women have been badly beaten and dumped in the desert. Obviously, the wealthier citizens of Deling City are getting very alarmed and vocal about this problem. That's where we come in. I am proposing that we go undercover."

"Undercover? That sounds totally exciting!" Selphie said happily while clasping her hands together and hopping in the air. "It'll be just like when we infiltrated the missile base!"

"But if all the victims are young women, I mean... What are you saying here Squall? I hope you aren't gonna make me and Zell wear wigs and women's dresses..." Irvine chuckled nervously.

Selphie giggled while casting a side glance at Irvine. "Your hair is so long and luxurious, I don't think you'd be needing a wig Irvine. You'd naturally make a very convincing damsel in distress with your flowing hair and pretty eyelashes," she said while petting his long auburn ponytail. "You'd be a perfect trophy wife."

He frowned at her before looking back at Squall with distressed eyes.

"Squall?" Zell asked apprehensively while cracking his knuckles.

"As I was trying to say, all the victims have been wealthy married women in their 20s. After they get kidnapped, ransom demands get sent to their husbands or families. I'm proposing we go undercover as married COUPLES and try to get some of you kidnapped. If that happens, we can find out who is responsible and end this series of kidnappings."

"Oooh, we get to pretend to be rich married couples! That sounds like fun!" Selphie said with a bounce. "We're going to be living the high life." Selphie said while pretending to swirl a glass of champagne while holding up a monocle.

"Yes, it seems that our expenses would be covered for this job to ensure that we fit into the wealthier area of Deling City. We could start right away if we didn't have to plan to fit into a certain societal stratosphere... Preparations are already being made." Squall nodded to himself before continuing, "so now we have to decide how we are going to partner up for this."

A strange tension filled the air. A mad rush ensued to secure a good partner and not be the last person out took over. Nobody liked being left behind or the last one chosen.

"I got dibs on Irvine," Selphie yelled while grabbing his arm roughly and nearly knocking him down.

"I call Squall!" Quistis said quickly and louder than she intended to.

"I uh... I... AW MAN!" Zell yelled while looking down at the ground. He was the odd man out. "Wait, why don't I have a partner? Rinoa is over there on the couch, and there are six of us altogether," he said while pointing behind him at Rinoa. "I choose Rinoa?" Zell said tentatively and hopefully.

"The request was specifically made for SeeD. Rinoa will not be taking part in this mission," Squall explained while avoiding looking over at Rinoa.

"But Irvine isn't exactly..." Zell started to say. He saw the warning look in Squall's eyes, so he abandoned that thought. Zell looked down at the ground again. "Don't you think it would be more convincing if Rinoa came and partnered up with Squall because..."

"The request was made for SeeD," Quistis clarified.

Rinoa continued to stay silent while sitting on Squall's leather office couch. She looked over at Quistis with her brows creased and a worried expression on her face.

"Actually Zell, I think this works out the best, I was planning on having two couples and a rover. These two couples have different personalities and tastes which would make for a better chance that the kidnappers would snatch either Selphie or Quistis. I wasn't planning on having you partnered with anybody on this mission. Your facial tattoo would not make you a very convincing wealthy upper-class man," Squall said.

"Hey! Are you calling me low-class?!" Zell yelled while swinging his muscular arms wildly and looking for a fist fight.

"Oh Zell!" Selphie said while easily dodging his flailing limbs with grace, "you would stand out at a country club with that tattoo. We want to be able to elegantly fit in." She reached out and patted his twitching shoulder gently.

Zell calmed down a little bit, but his feelings were still hurt. Even if there was a reason, it hurt to not be picked to be somebody's partner. This was just like in school when everybody else picked a friend for a partner and he got left out, or worse, having to be paired with the teacher.

"Zell, you'll provide us with backup and surveillance from a remote location," Squall said.

"Remote location?" Zell asked.

"Yes, you'll be set up in an apartment separate from ours," Squall answered.

"Oooh, we're going to have our own little apartment! And we're going to pretend to be carefree rich newlyweds who are deeply, madly in love," Selphie said dramatically with her hand over her heart.

Irvine leaned down towards her, "not all of that has to be for pretend darlin'" Irvine said softly while giving her a little wet kiss on the lips. Selphie flushed and giggled while throwing her arms around his neck.

"Okay, let's stay professional here and not lose our focus. We are to be efficient and find these kidnappers quickly," Squall stated while clearly getting uncomfortable by Irvine's public display of affection towards Selphie. "I've arranged for simple back stories for each of us."

Squall handed out packets of information to each of them.

"Over the next few days we are going to secure wardrobes and furnished apartments for the duration of our mission. Xu will be helping us with this, so don't worry. Just start getting used to your aliases and back stories. Don't use your real names. We'll need to pick out new names. Choose one that you are comfortable with."

"Hey, let's use our porn-star names," Irvine said with his face lighting up.

Squall gave him a professional and stern glare from behind his heavy desk. Irvine's attitude was lax to say the least, and he didn't appreciate it.

Irvine raised his hands up at him defensively.

"What I meant was, there's a name game... maybe you've heard of it... where you take the name of a pet as your first name and the name of a street you grew up on as your last name. That's how you make up your pretend porn-star name."

_Only you would know that,_ Squall thought. Irvine was no stranger to all topics related to porn.

Squall looked irritated and unimpressed, but Quistis stepped in to defend Irvine. She didn't think it would be fair for Squall to start reprimanding him already for a name game.

"Yes, actually I've heard of that silly game too." She took a deep breath and straightened her back. "Well, we have to start somewhere. Let's see what we get," she said.

"Okay, let's see. My name would be Butch Pine," Irvine said. He clearly had played this game before and given it some thought.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Squall said.

_Or too pornographic,_ he thought. _Probably..._

"I'm gonna be Mrs. Pine!" Selphie sang while tilting her head to the side. "Mrs. Cassidy Pine! I had a hamster named Cassidy, she was the cutest, squeakiest little thing you ever saw!"

"I'm sure your hamster wouldn't be the cutest, squeakiest little thing I've ever seen," Irvine said while reaching out to grab Selphie by the ribs to make her squeak.

Selphie let out a peal of shrill breathless giggles while lightly pounding on his shoulders playfully with her balled-up fists.

Squall ran his hand through his messy brown hair testily. He'd only had Selphie and Irvine in his office for a short period of time and they were already making him crazy. Solitude sounded great right now. He wished he was alone in his office with only Rinoa's soft and soothing snoring again. He loved that sound. He wished he had an audio compilation of it to help with his stress levels. Sleeping Sorceress Sounds Vol. 1.

All this time Quistis had been in thought. Her hand rested on the hip of her crisp SeeD uniform.

"The Trepe family lived on River street, and they had a pet bird called Kiki. So I guess my name would be Kiki River. That sounds okay, maybe even rich and eccentric. How about you Squall? You probably never had a pet since you weren't ever adopted out."

Squall inwardly cringed at the reminder of not being wanted by a family at any time throughout his childhood. Quistis hadn't meant any harm, but it still was painful and he wanted to keep that pain hidden. He wanted to forge on ahead with the mission, so he took a deep breath and tried to delve into his GF weakened early childhood memories. It took him a minute.

"My name would be... Walter," he said with a sigh.

Zell let out a laugh. "You had a pet named Walter?"

Squall nodded his head wearily.

"Ellone would take me out to the beach at the orphanage in Centra and show me animals there. I remember seeing a turtle there sometimes. He would get scared and pull into his shell unless you were very careful and quiet. I named him Walter," Squall explained slowly.

Rinoa had been keeping quiet before, but she willed herself to not giggle at Squall naming a beach turtle a serious name like Walter. She turned towards the wall so he wouldn't be able to see her smiling face. It was just too cute. She'd wished she'd know him as a little boy, maybe his childhood wouldn't have been so sad with her to play with.

"Okay, so we have our names then. Butch and Cassidy Pine, and Walter and Kiki River! That worked out surprisingly well," Selphie said. "Wait, does Zell need one too? Maybe we should give him a name just in case. What's your porn-star name Zell?"

"Um, I guess my name would be... Cinnamon Sand," Zell said while shifting his feet uncomfortably.

Nobody said anything. After a moment, Selphie started giggling while covering her face with both hands and stomping her feet. Rinoa let out a small muffled laugh from where she sat on the couch.

"WHAT!? Ma had a cat named Cinnamon, and you all know her house is on Sand St. in Balamb!" Zell shouted with his entire face turning red right up to his hair roots.

"Okay, Zell's name will be Jack Smith," Squall said while wisely ignoring his other name idea. "Anyways, that's what his name will be if anybody asks, and they WON'T because he'll be undercover doing backup surveillance work for us."

Everybody looked up at each other, waiting for further instructions from Squall.

"Please go over your information packets and get ready to be shipped out in the next few days. If nobody has any questions right now, you are dismissed," Squall finished.

Selphie grabbed Irvine's arm and left Squall's office with a big grin on her face. She was clearly planning already. Quistis tried to keep a professional look on her face as she passed Rinoa on her way out, but she was visibly pleased at the turn of events. Rinoa purposely kept her head down as she passed. Zell gave a friendly wave of acknowledgement at Rinoa as he left and shut the office door behind him with a slam.

After they left, Squall turned his attention towards Rinoa. He noticed that she had been quiet throughout the mission briefing. He didn't really understand women, or people in general, but he had a feeling it wasn't a good type of quiet. After arranging the papers neatly on his desk he stood up and walked over to her. She continued to stay quiet and look at the floor. He took a seat on the couch next to her. The leather creaked nosily as he sat down and his hair fell into his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Squall asked while shaking his hair out of his face.

"I'm fine," she answered while touching her necklace.

"If we do our jobs efficiently, we should be able to apprehend the culprits quickly."

"How long do you expect the mission to take?" she asked.

"I doubt it would take more than a month," he answered.

"A MONTH!" Rinoa groaned while looking up at him. "I'm going to be left alone at Garden for a whole month? I can't even imagine what this is costing Deling City!"

And it wasn't just the time that she'd be left alone. She had to think about Squall pretending to be married to Quistis. It was no big secret that Quistis previously had feelings for Squall, maybe she still did. Selphie had told her many awkward stories on the matter. There were things that had happened before Rinoa and Squall had ever met. Quistis said that those feelings were sisterly, but they clearly weren't. Who did she think she was kidding? And Rinoa wasn't blind, she'd seen the elated look on Quistis' face when she got paired with Squall. It was making her get worried and somewhat jealous.

"We're trained professionals. We'll go there and get the job done. I'll come back when the situation is handled," he said while lightly waving his hand in the air like it was no big deal.

"I know you don't want me involved in the mission, but can't I at least come with you guys to Deling City?" Rinoa asked while trying to catch Squall's eyes.

"I don't want you endangering yourself," Squall said quietly.

_Or endangering the mission success,_ he thought while crossing his arms.

"Is there anything else that's bothering you?" he asked.

"No, why would I be bothered," she said in an irritated voice. "You sided with my father against me this morning, and now I find out you are going to leave me at Garden alone for a month while you go off and pretend to be a young married couple with Quistis. Why would I have a problem with any of that?"

"Rinoa, we're professionals. This is a mission and..."

"Yes, I know you and Quistis take your missions very seriously. Hopefully you won't take your pretend marriage TOO seriously!"

Squall started to shift on the couch uncomfortably at her insinuations. He took a deep breath.

"Rinoa, we'll be working while we are there to discover who is kidnapping these women. Quistis and Selphie are going to be busy making themselves desirable targets. We are all going to be on the look-out for suspicious people constantly and trying to get information out of the locals. We'll be busy doing those sorts of things. It's not like we can just walk in there with our GFs and weapons and start destroying stuff. This requires planning and subterfuge. I can't just walk in there swinging my big fat sword that shoots off live bullets..."

Squall stopped abruptly.

_Wow, that sounded incredibly sexual. How did I never notice that before about my gunblade? I hope Rinoa didn't notice what I just said! Oh no! What if I'm some sort of sexually repressed pervert? I better change the subject._

"...it's going to be hard work. We have to look the part and go to plays, concerts, and upper class parties to blend into society."

At least that's what Squall figured they'd be doing. He still needed to do some research on the matter.

"Sounds like a nice vacation to me," Rinoa said trying to hide the jealously that had been steadily increasing throughout the entire day.

"It's not a vacation, it's work. Since I'm going to be gone for awhile, would you like to do something nice like go out to dinner with me?" Squall said quickly while trying to smooth out his hair.

Rinoa turned towards him and looked him in the face. His nervousness was starting to show as he kept trying to tame his wild hair. She reached up and took a hold of his hand to stop him.

"That sounds nice. How about we make a fun dinner together in your apartment tonight?"

_I wanna have some fun domestic happiness with Squall before he runs off to do this stuff with Quistis for a month!_ She thought to herself.

"Oh, sure... if that's what you'd want," he replied while pulling his hand back.

Rinoa gave a little smile while nodding up at him.

He was relieved to see her smile at him sweetly. Everything would be fine. He'd explained the mission to her, and she knew its importance. He didn't want to leave her, but there wasn't another feasible option. He'd work hard and get it solved as quickly as possible, the women of Deling City would be safer, and then he'd be able to come back to Garden. They'd be back to their routine of office work/napping in no time at all. It was a good plan, nothing would go wrong. Squall nodded to himself while avoiding thinking of Quistis.

Rinoa went back to reading for the next couple of hours while Squall finished work. As it became closer to evening, Rinoa excused herself and said that she wanted to freshen up and change for dinner.

"Sounds good. I will be done in an hour or so and then you can meet me at my apartment," Squall said.

Rinoa leisurely walked back to her room. Once she was there she started to rifle through her closet. She selected a casual yet flowy soft black cotton dress. She wanted to look nice for dinner, but not like she was TRYING to look nice. The illusion of effortless beauty. She took a quick shower, got dressed, and reapplied some light make-up. She had a silly hope that Squall would see how cute she was, and he would think to himself that he'd rather be pretend-married to her than Quistis. But he probably didn't think things like that. Actually, men probably didn't think things like that.

She looked herself in her mirror and judged that she looked good enough to leave for dinner. She exited her room and started walking towards his apartment. When she reached his door she lightly knocked. She wanted to just let herself in with her modified keycard, but she didn't want to abuse the privilege he'd given her. She had done that once... and there was a little accident... and well... Squall certainly was never going to forget it. He probably showered in a bathing suit now.

A muffled answer came from inside. Squall opened the door wearing an apron and let Rinoa inside. She took off her shoes, set her purse down, and then walked over to the middle of his living room. She looked around at the clean and immaculate place.

_One of these day's I gonna have to ask Squall to help teach me to keep things organized. He keeps a nice home._

Her thoughts drifted quickly back to his upcoming mission and she posed the question that had been on her mind since she'd heard about it.

"Ever wonder what it would be like to be married?" Rinoa asked while Squall was walking back towards his kitchen.

"We've been properly trained for almost any mission Rinoa. As a cadet we had lectures about how two people act differently when they are married, dating, divorced, etc. Some of us are better actors than others."

He peered into his oven to check the food.

"That's not what I meant," Rinoa said.

"If we were married, how would you treat me?"she said.

"Why would I treat you different?" Squall said.

Rinoa wasted no time but walked up and hugged him.

"Wouldn't there be more of this." She kissed him. "And this." She hugged him as hard as she could. "And this," she said while trying to get her hand up the back of his shirt, while failing miserably because it was tucked into his pants and he had a heavy apron on top of it. Squall always had lots of armor on.

Squall didn't know how much further this was going to go. Rinoa was acting agitated and possessive, and he didn't know what she was going to try to do. Although he was much better than a year ago, he still didn't usually initiate contact or in some instances even return contact. It was just who he was. He probably was a lot like Walter the turtle. He was a high-functioning, yet damaged person. What did she want from him?

Knowing that this would be one of the last times he would be alone with her in a while, he bent down with the intention of returning a kiss. She smiled brightly at him as he bent towards her, and then her face lost some of its smile as his lips only connected with her forehead.

"Dinner will be ready shortly. Why don't you wash up in the bathroom and sit down at the table," Squall suggested.

Rinoa sighed and walked off to the bathroom. Cleanliness was important, but especially to Squall. When she returned from the bathroom Squall was plating up dinner.

"It smells delicious. What is it?" she asked.

"Some baked Balamb fish, sautéed green beans, and seasoned steamed rice. I'm sorry, I didn't have time to make something special," he apologized.

Rinoa gawked at the nice meal he'd prepared. He was good at following military orders, so recipe instructions must be a snap for him. If she was eating dinner over at Zell's, he'd probably just tell her to eat a cold hotdog straight out of the package. Sometimes Squall just seemed too dreamily perfect, but then she remembered his social skills. That sobered her. Actually he had a lot of mental quirks.

Squall removed his apron and placed it over the back of the chair. He then placed their plates at the table, and they sat down across from one another.

After Rinoa thanked Squall for dinner they began to eat. The food was great, it was nice to not always have to eat cafeteria food. While happily chewing her food she asked about his plans to catch the kidnappers. He perked up at that question because his work was something he was confident in. He started to talk without further prompting from her, a rare achievement.

Rinoa barely listened to him, and instead dreamed of a future where she would be Mrs. Leonhart. She was full of mixed emotions as she knew that this was a long way off, if she could even ever get him to consider the idea at all. Although they were still very young, it wasn't THAT crazy of an idea, the sorceress knight bond already had them tied to each other. Regular people could always get divorced, but their bond was forever as far as she knew. She was glad their bond mind-link wasn't open at the moment, she didn't want Squall to know her girlish fantasies about him. Thoughts of wedding plans skittered through her mind. And if he knew that she was already picking out baby names in her head while she was chewing her food, well that would certainly scare him off. Oh, she definitely had plans for him. Sometimes she felt like a silly little schoolgirl. She suddenly noticed she hadn't been listening to anything Squall had been saying about the mission.

"...Quistis and I will be renting a one bedroom luxury apartment," Squall said, unaware that Rinoa hadn't been paying attention.

"Oh, one bedroom huh?" she asked with growing irritation. "Will there only be ONE bed in that ONE bedroom?"

Squall stopped chewing his food and swallowed loudly.

_I knew this was coming,_ he thought to himself while gripping his fork in his callused hand.

"I would assume so, as we are going undercover as a happy married couple," he answered her before taking a sip of water from a glass. His food had begun to stick in his throat.

"You're going to be under covers with Quistis, I mean undercover, right?" she said. "How far are you guys going to take this charade?"

"It's for the mission..." he stated.

"I guess ANYTHING for the mission..." she said snarkily.

"Seriously Rinoa!" he said while dropping his fork with a clatter. He grabbed at his forehead and took a deep breath. "I do things for a mission that you may find unacceptable, but I do them because it's my duty."

The nice feelings that Rinoa had earlier while making imaginary life plans with Squall quickly faded while picturing him in the same bed with Quistis. She shuddered to think that they would be getting under the covers together. Even if they were fully clothed in pajamas, a pang of jealously hit Rinoa.

"Well, is SeeD your only duty?" Rinoa said with hurt in her voice. Her emotions were starting to get the better of her. She pushed back her chair and turned around without looking, grabbed her purse and shoes and was out the door before Squall had even stood up.

She was able to hold back tears until she hit her room. Upon closing her door the floodgates opened and she allowed herself to cry. Becoming a sorceress had made her extra emotional. At least that's what she told herself. It was definitely the sorceress powers, and not the intense frustration of being Squall Leonhart's girlfriend. Probably.

How could somebody who looked that good be so messed up on the inside? He was far from normal, but she figured she was too, now at least. All of her friends had been changed by the war, but nobody more than her.

She flopped down on her bed to sulk.

As the evening went on she was further hurt that Squall didn't even try to contact her. Guilt weighed on her that she'd ruined dinner, but then she got angry again when she thought of Quistis. Squall was going away soon, and she didn't want to end on this sour note. It was a mess, and she was a mess of emotions. And on top of the hurt she was embarrassed by her own actions as well.

She spent the next couple of hours trying to calm her fears and to get some peace from the fact that Squall was professional. Her jealousy was bothering her, but she couldn't really imagine Squall cuddling up with Quistis. That seemed ridiculous.

_Pfft, he barely cuddles me,_ she thought.

After taking Angelo out for a walk and getting ready for bed, she decided to call it a night. Why torture herself any longer that evening. She slipped beneath her pink comforter and picked up a boring book on the sorceress wars. That always helped her get to sleep quickly. She wasn't in the mood to read any more of the fluffy romance novel she was halfway through, it would just upset her further. After about ten minutes, maybe even sooner, she reached out to shut off her light, and then her eyelids closed and she fell asleep.

* * *

As her dream unfolded before her she was instantly aware that it was only a dream. Becoming a sorceress seemed to have heightened that ability. She was more likely to dream, and she was more likely to be able to tell a dream apart from reality now. She also had better control of her dream-self than she did before. In some instances she could even modify and control her dream depending on her emotional state. The only negative to all this was that she needed to be careful. Sometimes the sorceress knight bond was stronger while dreaming, and she didn't want to bleed over into Squall's dreams. He wouldn't appreciate that and neither would she. They had enough embarrassing and awkward moments when they were awake.

She looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing the uniform of a housekeeper and carrying a tray filled with two plates of breakfast foods, complete with fancy little glasses filled with orange juice. A bell rang beckoning her to the room at the end of the hall. The high, shrill tinkle was grating to her ears with its constant insistence.

_Oh, I don't like where this is going. Don't do this to me brain! Can't we work out our issues at a place other than my dreams?!_

She knew that it was going to be Squall's bedroom when she opened the door. But when she peered inside she was still shocked by what she saw. Just as she thought it was Squall sitting up in bed with Quistis, awaiting their breakfast. Quistis was wearing fancy dark red lingerie with the straps falling down around her pale shoulders and Squall was wearing his undershirt. That wasn't so bad, but for Squall that was nearly naked. Rinoa was getting irritated by her dream. They looked so happy together. Squall was smiling at Quistis. His smiles were beautiful and illusive rarities, she didn't like seeing one directed at Quistis, even in a dream.

"I thought you and Quistis were just pretending to be married," Rinoa said while deciding to get all her feelings out in the safety of her dream world. She needed to vent some steam.

"We just enjoyed being pretend-married so much that we decided to do it for real," Squall said while reaching out and taking a hold of Quistis' hand. He gave her a kiss on her ring finger, showcasing the over-sized engagement ring and wedding band. He then pointed at a framed copy of their marriage certificate.

_Who frames their marriage certificate?_

Rinoa was not liking where this was heading and decided to change things in her favor, but her dream would not alter itself.

"Rinoa, don't fight this. Quistis should be my wife. We have much more in common. We're both serious, dedicated SeeDs. We both have a talent for leadership. We're equals. We even grew up under similar circumstances. You're just a high school dropout. And a runaway. Not to mention the problem of your sorceress powers. Basically a total mess," Squall said. "Why should we wind up together? You're more suited to be our maid."

Rinoa pushed back again trying to curtail the spiraling nightmare. She wanted the dream to change into something nice so badly. The scene did change, but not for the better. She found herself on her knees scrubbing the polished wood floor with a brush and a bucket full of water.

"Squall honey, you should fire her. She's not a good housekeeper. She can't cook or clean well," Quistis said while peering over the edge of the bed at her.

"No, I think we should keep her, she needs to know her place," Squall replied. "This is the only way she'll learn."

As Rinoa cleaned the room, the floor only became dirtier. She was getting her hands, arms, and clothes full of muddy water. Every time she dipped her brush in the bucket, it would slop everywhere near her. It was awful and it seemed never-ending.

The whole time she had been fighting against the dream frantically. When finally broke free of the repetitive motion of cleaning, she turned on them with rage. Quistis threw up her arms defensively, expecting Rinoa to strike her. But instead of hitting Quistis, she grabbed hold of Squall's undershirt with her wet and dirty hands and pulled him towards her angry face.

"How could you do this to me you damaged, cold-hearted, socially inept SeeD jerk?!" she yelled at dream-Squall with tears in her eyes.

She suddenly was overcome by an overwhelming feeling of loneliness and anxiety. Her hope of love and acceptance was crushed, and it caused her to wake up in a cold sweat fully aware. She was not looking forward to month of being alone with her out-of-control insecurities.


	2. Farewells and New Beginnings

It was a day like any other in Balamb, warm, sunny, and breezy. It felt like the first day of a long summer vacation, but it wasn't a happy day for Rinoa because it was the day of departure for the SeeD mission. She didn't want this day to come, but here it was already.

Although Rinoa hadn't officially made up with Squall yet, she still went down to the front gate to see him and the others off. Squall hadn't even brought up what had occurred the other night. For better or worse, silence seemed to be his default position on everything.

Everybody going on the SeeD mission was gathered at the front gate to say their goodbyes. They already were dressed like the young affluent couples they were meant to be. Squall and Irvine wore crisp dress slacks and light button-down shirts accompanied with expensive looking watches donning their wrists, while Selphie and Quistis wore luxurious and well tailored summer dresses complete with matching jewelry sets. They each had cases full of luggage, although other supplies had been sent ahead of them to their apartments in Deling City. They were going to pretend to be newly arrived couples, drawn by the alluring excitement of an urban landscape. It felt like they were leaving on a summer vacation trip, although it was in actuality a SeeD mission.

Selphie was the first to speak up at this awkward farewell party.

"Oh Rinny, I'm gonna miss you so much! I wish you could come too. It'd be so much fun. I'll keep you updated with everything I do through my blog!" Selphie exclaimed while springing lightly on her feet.

"Selphie, you can't do that, we're going undercover," Quistis chastised.

"Oh, well, I meant to say that I would love to keep you updated on everything through my blog, but I CAN'T because this is a SECRET mission. I'll be able to tell you everything when we get back though. We can have a little return celebration party for us girls and just chat the entire night away! I'm sure we'll have tons of fun stories."

Selphie jumped into Rinoa's arms and embraced her in a very tight hug. She was genuinely saddened by leaving Rinoa behind and she looked heartbroken. She took her time before finally letting Rinoa go.

"Yea, Selphie's right, we'll be able to tell you about everything when we get back. Don't worry 'bout a thing, darlin'," Irvine said while lightly patting Rinoa on the upper arm.

He reached up to tip his cowboy hat although he realized he wasn't wearing it. He tried to cover up the gesture by brushing his hair back. He was still getting used to his new look, and he missed his signature hat already.

"Everything will be fine," Quistis chimed in while crossing her arms.

A blank expression was worn on her face that Rinoa couldn't read, but jealousy crept into her thoughts. She knew that she shouldn't blame Quistis for this, after all she was only a SeeD fulfilling her mission. Rinoa tried to look at it logically from her point of view. She didn't want to be annoyed with her friend.

Zell seemed unsure of what he should say to comfort Rinoa. He wasn't happy about the whole situation between Squall and her. He knew this was a point of tension for his friends and he wished there could be something he could do about it. He didn't like seeing her in distress. She'd been through enough in the last year or so. She needed her friends' support. If only there was something he could do to convey his complicated feelings. He was frustrated, and that frustration led him to walk up to her with a big 'rawr' and smash her into his muscular chest for a bear hug. The air was completely knocked out of her lungs, and then he suddenly released her from his arms.

"We'll miss you Rin," Zell said while flashing her a dazzling sharp-toothed smile.

The only person left to say good-bye to Rinoa was Squall. Everybody looked at him expectantly while taking a step backwards for the appearance of privacy. Nobody looked away though, it was like they were watching an emotional TV drama. They couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Squall stepped forward to Rinoa and they both looked down at the cement sidewalk. She started to fiddle with her necklace and twist her boot into the ground. He looked up and began to speak.

"We'll come back when the culprits have been apprehended," he said.

 _Straightforward fact #1,_ Rinoa thought.

"I'll see you when the mission is over."

_Straightforward fact #2_

"I'll work as efficiently as possible to ensure that time is not wasted."

_Straightforward fact #3_

The others were disappointed by Squall's farewell. If this really was a TV drama, it was an entirely crappy one that was written by an uncreative person. It really needed to be spiced up with some passionate kissing and declarations of undying love. Maybe a little bit of crying too.

Squall looked down at the ground awkwardly again.

 _I have something for you,_ he thought at her through their sorceress knight bond. Luckily none of the others had discovered their secret connection yet, and at least a little bit of their farewell would be private.

She heard him projecting his thoughts, but she pretended to not hear him. He looked over his shoulder at the group and glared at them to turn around. They obediently turned around at the insistence of their commander.

"I have something for you," he whispered while bending down towards her.

Rinoa couldn't ignore that, so she peered up at him. He handed her a neatly folded piece of paper.

Here's our contact information. I technically shouldn't give this to you, but I thought I would anyways. But it's only in case of an actual emergency. For instance, if you can't control your sorceress powers and you're going to blow up Balamb Garden... call me first..." he whispered.

 _...and then I'll come help you do it,_ he thought at her playfully with the tiniest smile beginning in the corner of his lips.

His joke broke the tension and she lightly smiled back at him. The thought of her blowing up Balamb Garden was ridiculous. She'd never want or even have the ability to do that. Would she?

 _I'm going to miss you,_ Rinoa thought at him.

 _Be safe,_ he returned in his thoughts.

Rinoa couldn't take it anymore, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. Squall stood still for a moment before he let his guard down and returned the hug, even though he felt all the others sneaking peeks at them. The others had been waiting to see if this farewell was going to get any good. They thought that maybe now there would be some passionate kissing. They stared more openly now, and they leaned forward to get a better view. Squall quickly snapped his head around at them and they suddenly looked up towards the clouds in the sky pretending that they hadn't been watching the farewell. He reached down and gave her a light kiss on the top of the head before withdrawing his arms.

He nodded his head at her and gave her a light wave before taking his luggage and walking away. The group started to disperse. They had a train to catch. Rinoa stood by the front gate until she couldn't see them anymore in the distance. It was not lost on her that neither one of them said the actual word 'goodbye.' Rinoa shuddered as the sun hid behind the clouds and the warm breeze that had been blowing all morning turned cool, chilling her. She turned and headed back to the loneliness of her dorm room and decided to busy herself as best she could.

* * *

Hours later the train rumbled beneath them as the SeeDs (plus Irvine) sat on their plush seats in their private train compartment. They were used to nice train rides thanks to the SeeD compartment, but this was merely a first class private train compartment that Xu had booked under their new names.

Two bench seats sat across from each other. A door with a tiny window separated them from the rest of the train allowing them to speak freely without being overheard. Although passersby couldn't hear what they were saying, they could see how they were interacting with each other if they looked through the door's window. They had to act naturally, like couples on a trip to Deling City, but they could talk about their mission while they were in their private car.

Squall took advantage of their private compartment to talk about the technical aspects of their mission.

"General Caraway recently gave me an updated profile of the kidnappers, and I think I should fill you in on that information now. The women that were kidnapped were all between the ages of 20 and 30. Other than their wealth and general age group, there was no other distinguishing characteristics. The surviving victims can attest to the fact that multiple men were involved, although they never got a chance to see their faces. After being kidnapped, they got blindfolded and taken in a windowless van to the criminals' hideout. They weren't sure, some of them felt it was a warehouse, and sometimes an old apartment. They are smart, and they don't match a set pattern. A ransom demands gets sent to the victim's loved ones within 24 hours, and if those demands are not met within 3 days, the woman gets brutally beaten and dumped in the desert. Luckily none of these women have died, but the kidnappers don't have any regards for these people's lives. All these women who were kidnapped live in a wealthier area of Deling City, mostly within a 3 block radius. That is where we are going to live," Squall finished his summary and sighed. "Oh, and remember to check in daily with Zell. Memorize everybody's addresses and contact info in case we need to get in touch with each other. It's okay to pretend that we are acquaintances in public."

Everybody nodded their heads at him, trying to absorb the information. They were mostly excited about the more fun aspects of this mission than the actual technical details. They'd do their jobs, but they were going to have fun too.

After his long discussion, Squall returned to staring out the window and trying to unwind and block out the scene going on in the train car. Everybody had relaxed again after his speech, and Selphie was singing her train song and every so often she would grab Irvine's arm and pull him near for a kiss. Squall was in a bad mood and wanted to reprimand her for being unprofessional, but this mission required her to be married to Irvine. So her public displays of affection actually were professional, even if accidentally so. Squall should be complimenting her great acting abilities, but even under threat of torture he would not compliment Selphie as she would use it to take her PDA to another level. Irvine was sitting back lazily and enjoying his affectionate train ride. And even Quistis was trying to get into the spirit of things by sitting very close to Squall. She was really in his personal space. Their arms and legs were touching even though the train car was fairly spacious. He really didn't appreciate that.

Well, everybody except Squall was already easily falling into their roles. They'd be arriving in Deling City that night, and they had to get used to their new lives. Ever since they had met this morning before saying goodbye to Rinoa Squall had insisted they start to call each other by their aliases. They were getting into the swing of things.

Well, Zell was the only person that was acting completely normally. That was a benefit of him being a behind the scenes person on this mission.

Zell cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone and stood with his back to the train compartment's tiny window. He wanted what he was going to do to be unobserved by others.

"Okay guys, when we get nearer to Deling City I'll leave the compartment. I don't look rich enough to be hanging out with you guys. So before that happens, let me give you these," Zell said.

He reached into a padded box from within his messenger bag and pulled out some rings. There were four wedding bands and two engagement rings. He handed them to Squall and Quistis, and Irvine and Selphie.

"The wedding bands are hollow and have a small tracker set into the middle of them. I will be able to know where any of you are at any time with my surveillance equipment. Don't take them off. The engagement rings are just for show though. I made sure to pick out some really sparkly and eye catching ones. Hopefully nobody will be able to tell that the diamonds are fake. Don't let anybody look at them too closely. Actually, all of your jewelry is fake, so that goes for all of it. We needed big extravagant pieces. I hope you ladies like the styles I chose for you," Zell explained. "Your other jewelry is waiting for you in your apartments."

Zell had a knack for jewelry and design. The engagement rings were suited to their owners. Quistis' was more classically elegant, while Selphie's was a bit more exciting and non-traditional. Zell had done a good job.

"I can't wait to see what you picked out for me Zell!" Selphie said with a look of excitement on her face. This mission was seeming like a birthday and a vacation all rolled into one. It was as if she had won a contest that she hadn't even entered. She was on a train with all her friends, and everything was all happy with the world. She smiled down at her sparkly engagement ring until she realized that not all of her friends were with her. She felt sad for Rinoa, and she wished she'd come along. If only Caraway had not made a stipulation that she wouldn't be involved.

_Actually, if Caraway wasn't a factor, would Squall have made up another excuse for her not to come? I can't imagine him wanting her to be a target for kidnapping. Sometimes Squall reminds me of Rinoa's father, I wonder if she realizes that. Well, I guess they aren't exactly the same. I'm pretty sure Caraway wasn't ever as cute as Squall. Yea, they're totally different, no need to bring it up to Rinoa EVER._

She leaned her head against the tinted glass of the train window and looked off into the distance. It was later in the day and the light was getting pink tinged. She felt excited for this mission, it would be like living a whole other life, one where she hadn't been an orphan, and instead was part of classy society where she didn't have to kill for a living. Selphie imagined stories like this when she was growing up at the orphanage. It was like pretending she was a princess. This mission was great, it was like a fun imagination game. Her imagination was her best friend, it helped her see things through 'rose colored glasses' and be positive and optimistic all the time. She was determined to have a good time no matter what. And with that, the thought of Rinoa faded quickly from her mind.

As they got closer to the Deling City stop, Zell quietly exited the train compartment without saying anything to the others. He didn't need them to find his apartment in the city. He was a tough looking guy, he didn't need any backup for this simple mission. He'd be able to blend in easily in the neighborhood he was set up in. They were already spending a ton of money on the 'newlyweds' luxurious apartments, and he knew that Garden had really cut corners on his abode. It was going to be a sloppy bachelor's lifestyle for the rest of this mission for him.

If he didn't have SeeD, would that be the way he lived his life everyday he wondered. He banished the thought while flipping up his hood and taking a seat in the crowded public train car.

* * *

A few minutes after Zell left the compartment, Squall decided to give some extra particulars about the mission.

"Zell said that we'd be tracked through the rings, but I also want to remind everybody that there are surveillance cameras in our apartments and outside our buildings. Even if it is going to be black and white and grainy, Zell is going to be able to SEE what we are up to through the video feeds in case somebody breaks in to kidnap any of us," Squall stated while giving Irvine a direct look.

"What are you looking at me for Squall... I mean WALTER?" Irvine asked with pretend innocence.

"Eeeeew, is Zell going to be able to see me..." Selphie whispered loudly, "on the toilet?"

Squall put his hand up to his face.

"No Selphie, the cameras are going to be focused on points of entry, but they might also be able to see into parts of the bedroom, living room and kitchen," Squall explained. "I just want to make sure you guys know that what you do in your own apartment isn't exactly entirely private. We're all working here. Soldiers don't always have the luxury of privacy."

Irvine shrugged his shoulders playfully. "Like I care if Dincht watches me live my life," he said. "It might be educational for him. He's got to grow up sometime," Irvine laughed.

"Irvy! I mean BUTCH!" Selphie said. "You be NICE!" She thumped him hard in the stomach with her fist.

While Selphie and Irvine bickered, Quistis quietly took out a mirrored compact from her designer (knock-off) purse. She applied a new coat of lip gloss and primped her sleek blond hair. Her reflection showed a well put together wealthy young woman. She didn't outwardly reveal her excitement like Selphie, but she was also looking forward to this mission. It was like a fun vacation, much better than being up to her neck in bloody marlboro tentacles. Too bad the goal of it was to get herself kidnapped. Well, she'd enjoy herself up until then. Pretending to be married to Squall was like a childhood dream come true for her. She didn't even care about the rich part. Like she even cared about that. She just wanted to pretend to be in a loving relationship. Not that she was the sort of person that thought a woman needed a man, but it would be fun. It's always nice to have options.

While the rest were thinking about all the fun they'd be having on this mission, Squall just sat and worried. He returned to looking out the window in order to clear his thoughts and focus on the mission. He feared that every second he'd be gone would only make Rinoa more upset. It was like there was a clock constantly ticking in his head. He didn't have the time or desire to enjoy the luxury. He had to be quick and efficient in order to spare Rinoa unnecessary loneliness. He'd been initially excited when Caraway had called, and he had been quick to accept the mission. Being stuck behind a desk wasn't what he'd envisioned out of life, but now he was wondering if he should have given this contract to another SeeD team. Over the past year as much as he didn't want to admit it, his heart was tied to Rinoa. It was a strange vulnerable feeling. He didn't like feeling vulnerable.

And he didn't even want to think about Quistis. He'd deal with that when he had to. Right now he was thinking only of Rinoa. Every mile trailing behind him in the train, well, he'd have to traverse again just to see her. The distance between them filled him with a weird emptiness that was physically bothering him. He was scared that love was making him weak, and he decided to do what he did best. Hide it from the others. He'd been on other missions shortly after he had defeated Ultimecia, but none of them lasted more than a couple of days. The relationship along with the sorceress-knight bond had been less developed during those times and he wondered if his current feelings was due to that. Maybe they would only intensify as time went on.

A metallic squeal and a rough jolt of brakes signaled to them that they were pulling into their stop. They busied themselves to disembark, and before Squall knew it, he was riding up the escalator from the train station to Deling City itself.

 _It always seems like I'm here at nighttime,_ Squall thought to himself while looking at the darkening sky.

The rosy hint of twilight was receding into blackness. It was a perfectly clear night, but he could only see a few stars as the lights of the city street prevented Squall from seeing any more than the very brightest ones. A myriad of people walked past Squall either heading towards the shops and restaurants downtown or towards the train station.

When he turned around, Irvine and Selphie who had wasted no time were giggling and hopping onto a public bus to take them to their new 'home' for the duration of this mission. They really seemed to be getting into the newlywed spirit. They were already all over each other, even more than on the train, and earning the disapproving glares of people passing by.

Squall turned around and saw Quistis looking him straight in the eyes. She was waiting for him to say something.

"I think we should get going home... Kiki," Squall said to Quistis while rubbing at his scar. Sometimes a phantom pain plagued him when he was stressed. This was one of those times.

"Oh, why don't we go out for a nice dinner first... sweetie," Quistis countered.

"We should probably get freshened up first AT HOME," Squall said clearly. Then he added under his breath, "we should establish a home base first and then get the lay of the land in our new neighborhood."

Emotionally she was disappointed, but tactically she approved. She nodded in agreement, and then walked to the bus stop to wait for the next bus with him. It would be awhile before they got to their new neighborhood as it was quite a few stops farther away from the center of Deling City. Squall was curious to see it for himself. The few times he'd been to Deling City were limited to the downtown area.

A vivid scene flashed before him, but he tried to block out the memories of the wild Sorceress Parade. The yelling crowds, the vicious Galbadian soldiers, the fantastical dancers, and then seeing Seifer alive on a parade float with the sorceress.

 _Hopefully this visit won't end with me getting speared with a giant ice shard,_ he thought to himself.

Quistis had been eyeing him intently as they sat next to each other on the bus. The slight furrowing of his eyebrows clued her in to his inner turmoil. He never spoke up, so she had to interpret his thoughts through his subtle body language. Luckily she was an expert Squall observer. Quistis reached out and placed her hand over his tenderly.

"Walter, are you feeling okay?" she asked with concern.

Squall recoiled at her touch and looked over at her with disbelief.

"I'm fine. Just tired," he replied.

_You shouldn't be coming on to your commanding officer Quistis! Oh wait, she can't hear my thoughts. Only Rinoa can do that. And I guess, this whole mission is going to be her coming on to me. She's just doing her job._

"I have a slight headache, and I just want to be left alone right now," he said.

 _We've barely been pretend-married at all, and I'm already getting the headache excuse! I'm going to have some fun with this,_ Quistis thought to herself.

"Sweetie, why don't you lean your head on my shoulder if you don't feel well? I'll let you know when we get to our stop."

"No thank you."

"It's fine, I don't mind," she said sweetly.

"No thanks."

"You can just take a little nap here," she said while patting the top of her nearest shoulder and smiling.

"No."

Quistis reached out and tried to pull him down towards her. This was becoming awkward and humiliating for Squall, but he gave in and let himself lean against her while crossing his arms tightly. A little smile crossed Quistis' face briefly. She was having fun, and it was 100% Garden approved. A tense silence ensured for the next 15 minutes while they sat on the rumbling bus. As soon as they reached their stop, Squall shot up from their seat with his bag in hand and walked out without saying a word to Quistis. She could carry her own luggage and catch up with him on her own. They were going to pretend to be a married couple, but he felt dread in the pit of his stomach at the thought that she was going to ENJOY it. He didn't want to be teased like that. Except maybe when Rinoa did it, and even then, not a whole lot.

The bright streetlight cast dark shadows around him as he peered up to try and read a street sign. They were almost at their destination. He took a right turn and started walking down the street. It was getting to be later in the evening, and there were quite a few people out in the streets. There were people walking small fancy dogs, couples on dates, and roving groups of teens. The light crowd made a background din in addition to the constant sounds of traffic.

His eyes finally settled on the apartment building that was going to be their home for the duration of the mission. The brick front of the building had a large stone porch with a wide set of stairs leading up to the entrance that was flanked by two large stone lions. A pair of chatty women were loitering near the entrance. Squall prepared to brush past them, but he was stopped when one reached out and grabbed a hold of his bicep.

"Well hello there! I see that you have some luggage with you. Are you the new tenant that is moving into that vacant apartment on the fifth floor? We saw professional movers carrying boxes in all morning," said the stranger.

 _Those movers must have been the rookie SeeDs that were tasked with setting up our apartments and surveillance equipment,_ Squall thought.

"Yes, I'm the new tenant," Squall stated while looking over the two women.

The two women were possibly in their mid-forties although they looked younger. They were good looking, but he didn't notice that because he was assessing more objective things about their appearance. They seemed to be nicely groomed and in very good shape. Their clothes were casual, yet had an air of being expensive. One was a bleached and highlighted blonde, and the other an unnatural redhead. These were the types of people he was going to try to fit in with. Better sooner than later he supposed. He noticed they each had a glass of red wine in hand, and expensive looking bracelets adorned their slender wrists.

While he was discreetly assessing them based on their appearance, they were doing the same to him, except for the discreet part. They weren't being inconspicuous at all. He could feel their eyes on him and he didn't like it. If he'd been Laguna, his leg would be cramping up right now.

"Well, I guess we'll be your neighbors in this building. My name is Courtney Waterford," said the blonde with an appraising smile. "And this is Victoria Greene," she said while pointing to her redheaded friend.

They stood and waited for him to introduce himself, but it took him a moment to realize that fact. He was used to not sharing information with others. Squall needed to be more outgoing for this mission.

"My name is Walter River..." he said, and then added, "nice to meet you ladies."

The women smiled up at him fondly until Quistis came wheeling her luggage behind her. The rumble of plastic wheels was followed by a loud thump for every step she dragged her heavy luggage across. When she reached the top step she pushed some of her sweaty blonde hair off the sides of her face and eyed Squall fiercely.

"Oh, this is Kiki... um, my wife," he added weakly.

The women looked disappointed at the mention of a wife, but they tried to smile it off.

"Oh, sorry to have kept you. Maybe you should help your wife with her heavy bag," Courtney suggested while pointing towards Quistis.

"The exercise will do her good," Squall said before turning and walking into the building with his luggage that he could lift with ease.

Quistis stared after him with disbelief as he went inside the building. She suddenly gave the women an embarrassed nod before hurrying in behind him.

Courtney and Victoria raised their eyebrows at each other. Their new neighbors certainly were interesting.

"Did you see that?" Victoria said. "He was so handsome, but he was so cold to his wife. Wow... I wonder what goes on in their home."

"I know, I'm going to be keeping my eyes on them," Courtney replied while lifting her wine glass to Victoria.

They both smiled at each other while clinking glasses. Then they got back to gossiping.

* * *

The door slammed behind Quistis as she entered their new furnished apartment. She was tired from carrying her bag all the way to the fifth floor and the air conditioning felt nice on her sweaty face. Squall didn't feel the need to take the elevator, so neither did she. He could go right ahead and show off how he was a big strong man, she'd match him head to head. Stubborn jerk.

She fanned her face with her hand while taking a cooling breath. Squall was already nowhere to be seen.

"Walter?" she said out loud from where she stood at the entrance.

He walked out from the back bedroom and stalked towards her with purpose. He whispered to her quietly, "I checked to make sure all the surveillance cameras were up and running, as well as being adequately hidden. I've looked at all possible points of entry and hiding areas," He lowered his voice even further, "And I found our weapons, they are hidden in the bedroom closet, as we were already told. They'll be there if necessary, but we hopefully won't have to use them until our cover is blown."

She nodded at him, if this was a SeeD exam he'd have done well. He'd covered all bases.

"I think we should get a feel for the neighborhood and start to get out there... for research," she offered.

"Yes, we should. Keep an eye out for any suspicious looking people. They obviously are targeting a certain type of person for their kidnappings. They probably are out there choosing marks. So you should make sure you wear a lot of jewelry while we are here. That will increase the odds of you being noticed and your desirability for being kidnapped," he said.

 _And increase the odds of this mission being over sooner,_ he thought to himself with a vision of a sad-faced Rinoa in his head.

"Okay, I'll get dressed to go out to eat with you, but first I'm going to take a shower and get freshened up," she replied.

Before showering Quistis surveyed the apartment just to get a feel for their new home. It was a very spacious one bedroom apartment. In the main room the kitchen had high end stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. Off the main room was a second bathroom for guests. Wood floors ran throughout the entire apartment. It was much newer and nicer than her SeeD apartment. The bedroom had vaulted ceilings and all the fixtures and furnishings in the apartment were expensive and elegant looking. The bathroom was immaculate. It contained both a large marble tiled shower and a bath. The shower contained a large rainfall shower head. Quistis was going to enjoy spending time in the nice large bathroom.

While Quistis had stepped into the back bedroom to find their bathroom to shower, Squall stayed at the other end of the apartment to give her privacy. He felt weird about this whole arrangement. Although he was staying away from her, he still could hear the running water and the sound of her humming a tune. The situation was especially strange since she was a former teacher of his. A former teacher with a hot body who had some lingering feelings for him.

_No wonder Rinoa was so upset, this sounds terrible now that I'm thinking about it! What was I thinking?! Maybe I should have partnered up with Selphie. Then I wouldn't have to worry about Rinoa and Quistis' feelings, and then Selphie and Irvine wouldn't be so distracted with each other. It isn't like Selphie or I have any attraction towards each other._

Squall tried to imagine being together with Selphie. His brain couldn't wrap around that thought fully. It didn't make sense, even for an undercover mission. It wouldn't even make sense in a parallel universe. All of his extreme introversion with her extreme extroversion would be like a cold front forcefully meeting a warm front, a tornado would ensue, and the mission would have ended up as a murder-suicide.

_Discomfort aside, Quistis is better suited for me. Hmmm, I'm glad Rinoa isn't around to hear that thought._

Within 20 minutes Quistis was dressed and ready to go. Squall was surprised. Quistis was much more efficient than Rinoa, he hadn't expected that. She'd even put on a nice dress and jewelry. Quistis was falling into her role much easier than Squall was. Her appearance was flawless and would blend in easily with the neighborhood. Well maybe not exactly blend in. Her well tailored coral dress looked stunning against her milky white skin and shiny honey blonde hair. As they had discussed, she was dripping in sparkly jewelry. Squall approved of her taking this seriously.

He glanced down at his own appearance, he hadn't done anything to freshen up after their hours on a train. He didn't dare go near her while she was getting ready. He was just grateful there was a half-bath at the front of the apartment or he wouldn't have even been able to go to the bathroom. He figured he looked presentable enough though. Anyways, nobody was out there to kidnap him. He just had to look wealthy enough that he would pay a ransom for his wife.

"Let's go," he said while walking through the front door.

Although Squall was getting very hungry, he took a long walk through the neighborhood to see what was out there. Quistis mostly kept quiet while he did his scouting. She no doubt was keeping a look out as well. They were both soldiers, they knew what to do.

Quistis saw a fancy little neighborhood restaurant with outdoor seating and tried to steer Squall in that direction.

"Walter honey, why don't we try this restaurant. It has such cute little tables set up on the sidewalk. Wouldn't that be fun to do some people watching while eating? Wouldn't it?" she asked.

Squall looked at her and nodded. He let himself be pulled towards the restaurant. Quistis asked to be seated outside since it was such a beautiful night, and they were silently led to the blocked in outdoor eating area. They took their seats and Quistis started to look at the menu. Her eyebrows raised at the prices. She was glad she didn't have to pay for this dinner personally. Squall didn't even pick up a menu.

"Walter, what do you want to eat? You have to pick something," she said.

Squall hadn't stopped looking around for suspects.

"I'll have... whatever," he said. "Actually why don't you pick something out for me... Kiki."

She sighed while folding her menu back up and setting it down. A waiter soon came to take their orders.

"I'll have the salmon salad, and my husband will have the steak and herbed potatoes," she said while hoping Squall would be okay with her choice for him. Men liked meat and potatoes, didn't they? He didn't give an indication either way. If he had any sort of food preferences, nobody had been able to find out what those were yet.

"Would you two like anything to drink. We have a nice wine that would pair well with..." the waiter started.

"We'll both have water," Squall said dismissively. He didn't want their senses dulled, especially on their first few hours on the job.

They remained quiet while waiting for their food. Quistis could tell that Squall was in SeeD mode and was scoping the territory to ascertain if there were any leads or threats present. He wasn't an actor, so she'd have to play up their roles enough for the both of them. She fiddled with her expensive looking bracelets during their wait. The gemstones caught on the candlelight and gleamed like stars. If they were going to look like a normal married couple, they would have to have a conversation. Conversation clearly wasn't Squall's department.

"Walter?" she said to get his attention.

He didn't seem to hear her. He got lost in his thoughts often.

"Walter?"

Still nothing.

"Wal?"

That got his attention because it sounded close enough to Squall.

"Isn't it beautiful out this evening. I bet if we weren't in the city, we'd be able to see more stars," she said.

He nodded at her.

This conversation was going to be like pulling teeth. She figured she'd just have to chatter with herself and make sure her jewelry caught the light. It was tedious, but it was her job. She would have thought a fancy dinner alone with Squall would have been more fun. How did Rinoa put up with this? Maybe she'd just have to try harder.

Their food arrived quickly and Quistis was delighted by it. Her salad was wonderful, and she'd been so hungry. She'd love to shovel it in, but she had to eat properly like a wealthy woman. Squall ate his food as if he had no taste buds. His eyes never seemed to look at either her or his food.

 _Well, at least I picked him something protein packed. He needs to keep his strength up. Hopefully he won't lose any muscle mass while on this soft mission. I guess that's an added duty on this mission, making sure Squall eats properly and stays fit and healthy,_ she thought to herself with a resigned sigh.

* * *

Zell found his new apartment quickly after he'd gotten off the Deling City bus. This city had great public transportation. Once you arrived by train, you didn't even need a car. Even if you missed a bus, there'd be another one along shortly. It was easy to stay mobile.

When he walked up to the building he'd be in he took a deep breath. He knew it wouldn't be as nice as the others' places, but it looked pretty dumpy. Trash was piled up in front, and there were a few alley cats hanging around. Plaster and paint were peeling off the front of the building, and a set of narrow stairs led up to the entrance which contained an uninviting door with wrought iron bars across it. He passed a short stocky looking tough guy as he walked up the cement steps to the front door. If Zell hadn't been a battle tested SeeD, he would have been intimidated by the man's muscular appearance and overabundance of neck tattoos.

 _That guy looks like a creep!_ Zell thought to himself while walking into the building.

He walked into a small lobby, and before him was an elevator, while off to his right was a set of stairs. His apartment was on the second floor and he decided to take the stairs. Zell felt happy to not have to be on a train or bus anymore and he sprinted up the stairs two steps at a time with his messenger bag banging behind him. The warped and dusty old wooden stairs creaked under his heavy weight as he ascended them. He was soon at his door and pulled out the key he'd been given earlier and let himself in.

He pushed open the door and the hallway light briefly illuminated the front portion of the apartment. He stumbled in and switched a light on before shutting and locking the door behind him. It was sparsely furnished. He turned to the main living area and saw his desk with all of his technical surveillance equipment on it. It was set up to not be visible to any passersby in the hallway. There was a mattress in a corner and a small table for eating. He knew they were going to go cheap for him, but the dirty dinky studio apartment was a letdown since he knew his friends were in luxury apartments stocked with goodies. At least they'd remembered to ship his luggage out here.

_Tch. This is how Garden sets me up here? Stupid mission. I wish I'd been chosen to play a spoiled rich guy. I guess I shouldn't have gotten a face tattoo. Stupid face tattoo!_

He walked over to the kitchenette to look for some food. Zell riffled through refrigerator and cabinets to find that they were all empty except for the most basic of cookware, plates, cups, and utensils. He walked into the bathroom as well. There were only a few towels for him. Luckily, the majority of his luggage had arrived and was waiting for him in the corner.

_I guess I'd better run out tonight and get some food and supplies. I thought they said we'd all be fully stocked so we could work. Maybe only the 'couples' got that treatment._

Zell decided that the fridge wasn't going to stock itself. Although he had just arrived, he figured he should go out and do the shopping now. He exited and locked his apartment and was once again hopping down the stairs to the front entrance where the tough creepy guy was still standing. Now he was smoking a cigarette.

"Yo," said the tough guy.

"Yo!" Zell responded while flipping his hood back up over his head.

 _Do people still say that? I guess they do here,_ he thought to himself while he jogged down the street to the nearest convenience store.

* * *

A few hours later Squall and Quistis made their way back 'home.' They tried to look as if they were having a leisurely and romantic after dinner walk through the neighborhood, but it probably wasn't very convincing. Squall was walking too fast for it to be leisurely, and they weren't even holding hands. Plus, any fun walk wouldn't have gone on for as long. Squall made her walk miles in her fancy little heels. She wished she could wear men's dress shoes or at least comfortable flats. Designer shoes were always the worst. All design and no comfort. The straps had been digging into her skin and chaffing her a lot at the end of the night. She was relieved to finally walk in their door. It was already starting to feel like home. Well at least if it wasn't exactly a home, it was certainly a home base.

Squall immediately took off his shoes and arranged them by the front door neatly. Quistis joined him in stripping off her footwear. A mild euphoria overcame her, and it wasn't because this would be her first night alone with Squall, it was because she got to take those terrible strappy heels off her feet! Luckily her feet weren't bleeding, blistering, or swollen.

"Walter, I'm going to bed. Are you coming?" she asked him while walking towards the bedroom.

Squall crossed his arms and tossed his hair aside. "I'm going to stay up and work on my laptop. Don't wait up for me."

 _Fine be that way Squall! I'm going to go lay down and put my feet up on my soft and fluffy bed,_ she thought.

Quistis walked into the bedroom and shut the door. Squall could hear her taking off her make-up and washing up. Twenty minutes later the light filtering under the bedroom door went off signaling Quistis was in bed going to sleep, but it wasn't until two hours later that Squall snuck in to go to bed. He'd wanted to wait until he knew for sure that she was asleep.

His feelings were awash with guilt, and he just wanted to go straight to sleep and forget about where he was. He had brushed his teeth and changed into a full set of pajamas in the front bathroom before getting into bed. He usually just slept in his boxers and undershirt, but he couldn't be doing that here. He even planned to wake up before her and exit the bed. It would be like he'd never been there at all. He shoved a pillow in between their bodies and climbed in beside her. As usual he curled up in a fetal position, but he was making sure that he was turned away from her. His body nearly was over the edge of the bed. He was so nervous and uncomfortable it was making him hot and sweaty. Not the most comfortable way to sleep, but it'd do. He took a deep breath and tried to empty his mind for sleep. He hoped Rinoa couldn't get into his dreams tonight through their bond as nothing good could come from it.


	3. Hot and Humid

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Selphie sang while bouncing on her knees in bed. The straps of her little yellow nightgown fell down her lightly tanned shoulders.

Irvine cracked open a bloodshot eye and looked up at her face. His first night on this mission had gone quite well, and he really would appreciate some more sleep.

"More sleep... need some sextra sleep," Irvine muttered while pulling a fluffy pillow over his head.

"Hey, what'd you just say?" Selphie laughed.

She pulled the pillow off his face and hugged it tightly to her body while peering down at him.

"I'm so excited about today! Our first full day together in Deling City as husband and wife. Oh, what should we do today? I have so many ideas! Woooo!"

Irvine laid on his back like an immobile lump while Selphie jumped out of bed with a bounce and went over to their bedroom window. She grabbed hold of the cord on the blinds and pulled down hard with a hop. Sunlight flooded the room and raced across Irvine's pallid bare chest. He let out a long hissing sigh and withdrew vampire-like into the shadows and rolled onto his face.

Selphie saw his reluctance to get up and frowned. She jumped back into bed with him and straddled his back while slapping his lightly freckled shoulders.

"Butch, get up you lazy bum! You're burning daylight. We gotta get up and have some fun in Deling City!"

She reached behind and gave his butt as whack as well. Irvine winced at the slap.

"I'm not getting up for nothin' Cassidy," he drawled facedown into the pillows.

"Oh, I think I could get you up," she said teasingly in a low voice. Or at least as low as she could make it.

Irvine liked the sound of that. He liked it a lot. He tried to turn over with Selphie still on his back. She was happy that he was finally starting to move, so she got off his back and flopped down next to him. Irvine didn't waste any time and rolled on top of her, planting light kisses onto her cheek. She reached up and rubbed her hands all over his bare chest with a mischievous smile.

"I think you've persuaded me darlin' Cassie," he said sleepily.

"I knew I could," she said cheerily before shoving her foot into his chest and boosting him out of bed with a powerful thrust from her well-toned legs. No matter what size they were, SeeD women were strong.

Irvine was suddenly airborne, and he landed on the floor with a thud beside the bed. He groaned as his long auburn hair fell across his face sloppily. She bounced down after him as he laid there stunned. Selphie could be scary sometimes, even when she was happy, which was always.

She grabbed a long lanky arm and dragged him to his feet easily. He was tall but he didn't weigh much. He wasn't particularly muscular.

 _Shooting a gun obviously doesn't require as much strength as being a gunblade specialist or a martial artist,_ Selphie thought sadly while looking at his bare chest.

She actually was a little surprised at how easy he was to physically push around. Not that she was going to stop, but she'd like a little challenge. He was nearly a foot taller than her, but she could probably pick him up and toss him across the room. Probably. She hadn't tried yet.

 _Maybe that's how I'll wake him up tomorrow,_ Selphie thought with glee.

Irvine took a seat on the edge of the bed. He was now fully awake and slightly stunned. His backside hurt from hitting the bedroom floor hard, and not for the first time did he contemplate dumping Selphie when this mission was over. He was about to yell at her about how rude she had been to wake him up in this way, but the thought quickly dissipated as he noticed that she was in nothing more than her sheer nightgown. He smiled at her unthinkingly, but he was quickly shaken to his senses.

"Get up and get dressed or we're getting a DIVORCE!" Selphie yelled happily while forcefully shaking and shoving him in the direction of the shower.

Irvine frowned. He hoped every day of this mission wouldn't start like this.

* * *

Quistis woke up to blazing sunlight in her eyes. That was odd. She always woke up before dawn. She turned over with excitement to see if Squall was still there. Last night she didn't want to fall asleep until he came to bed, but she had gotten so tired from all the traveling.

_Unbelievable! My first night in bed with Squall and I slept through and missed it all._

When she looked over at Squall's side of the bed, she saw that he wasn't there. And not only was he not there anymore, but he'd somehow made the bed, at least the half that she wasn't currently laying in. She thought she was imagining it and maybe he'd slept on the couch, but when she went to bed she'd pulled back ALL the covers. He'd obviously been there overnight.

 _HE MADE THE BED WITH ME STILL IN IT!_ she thought with disbelief.

She sat up trying to process that thought, but she couldn't comprehend the sort of OCD maniac that would do something like that. When she finally got herself out of the bed, she sleepily walked out into the apartment hallway. She wandered towards the kitchen where she saw that Squall had already shaved, showered, dressed, and was possibly on his second cup of coffee. Even if they were pretending to be carefree rich people, he was still keeping his rigid SeeD schedule. His laptop was out on the kitchen table. She didn't know what he was doing, but he was doing it stressfully.

"Good morning," she said to the silent room. "What do you want to do today?"

Squall continued to type on his laptop for a few moments before speaking, "I'm researching areas of Deling City right now. I have focused on the general areas where the kidnappings took place, as well as abandoned warehouses or apartments that may have been used by the culprits. Maybe you should get dressed first before we make any definite decisions." He made sure to NOT look directly at her, as he could tell from glancing up briefly that she was still in her thin nightgown and presumably braless. He was getting uncomfortable, and tried to hide it behind working. "Before we go out, make sure to eat some breakfast. Nutrition is..."

Quisits didn't hear the rest of that sentence because she had turned around to go take a shower. She was disappointed. She was a healthy and, not to sound vain, good looking woman in a somewhat sexy nightgown, and Squall barely acknowledged her presence when she walked into the room. Yes she knew this marriage thing was all for pretend, but that really hurt her feelings. It wasn't that she wanted to steal him from Rinoa, well probably. If he decided to jump on the Team Quistis bandwagon, she wouldn't have said no. She'd certainly let him be president of her creepy fan club. Anyways, what she had wanted was at least some acknowledgment of her presence.

 _And then he responds by trying to give me a health class lecture about nutrition! He's not the instructor here! I am! Or I was... This dynamic is really getting weird,_ Quistis thought while flexing her whipping hand.

When she got into the bathroom and shut the door, she quickly slipped out of her 'somewhat sexy' nightgown and let it drop around her feet. She slid open the clear shower door and got inside before turning on a hot stream of water. Her hair got drenched and she let the heat soak into her shoulders.

 _Squall Leonhart the dream is a lot different than Squall Leonhart the reality. Even so, I'm going to make this mission fun. I'm still pretend-married to Squall, and I'm going to make the most of it,_ she thought to herself with determination.

By the time she got dressed and her hair dried and styled it was 10 am. For a SeeD that was practically like the middle of the afternoon. Maybe it was just the traveling from the day before, or the time zone difference. Or maybe she was getting into the wealthy lifestyle easily. Very easily.

After putting on a cream colored linen dress, she applied her makeup and put on a ridiculous amount of showy jewelry. She was a walking jewelry store. Maybe she was overdoing it. She wanted to get kidnapped, not mugged.

_Okay, time to meet up with Squall. Round Two._

She walked back into the kitchen. Squall was still on his laptop and sipping black coffee. He didn't acknowledge her presence at all.

 _Big surprise,_ she thought sarcastically.

She reached into the refrigerator to see what it was stocked with. Her intentions were to make something healthy like fruit and oatmeal or whole wheat toast and eggs, but her eyes spotted a chilled bottle of sparkling wine. She shrugged her shoulders and reached for it. She found a bottle opener and popped it open and poured herself some in a champagne flute. She then added some orange juice and walked out the front door with her drink.

Squall watched the whole scene without saying or doing anything. Which is exactly what she'd figured he'd do.

She walked downstairs and onto the front steps of the apartment building next to the stone lions. It was a beautiful sunny morning with a light breeze. There were only a couple of people out walking their dogs because it was a little after 10 in the morning. Most other people were working. She was enjoying the feel of the breeze as she stood in the shade with her drink.

 _Ah yes, a wealthy woman's breakfast,_ she said to herself while taking a sip of her Mimosa cocktail.

Within minutes Courtney Waterford joined her outside. Quistis had a feeling one of the gossipy women would come out when they saw her. It was just a hunch.

Courtney was wearing a loose button down blouse with a pair of well tailored shorts and strappy heeled sandals. Her highlighted blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. She looked like a model from a department store catalog.

 _I didn't realize expensive looking shorts were a thing,_ Quistis thought to herself.

"Good morning," Quisitis said to the other woman.

"Hello, I was introduced to your husband last night. Maybe you didn't catch my name. I'm Courtney," said the gossipy neighbor.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Kiki," Quistis said while taking another sip of her drink.

"I know you just moved here, so maybe you haven't heard. But there have been some women kidnapped from this area. You might want to be careful when you're out by yourself."

"Kidnapping! Oh dear, that sounds awful! Did you know any of the people that were kidnapped?" Quistis inquired calmly while hoping for some good information.

"Well, I didn't personally know anybody. But I knew a person... who knew a person who was in the same building with one of the victims," Courtney said with breathless excitement.

"Are you worried?" Quistis said.

"Well, I'm not terribly worried. So far all of the women have been in their 20s. And I'm in my... um, 30s," Courtney said.

"Thank you for the warning. I'll keep an eye out for suspicious people, but I'm not going to let any scary news story keep me from living my life," Quistis said loudly with a laugh.

She nodded her head at her nosy neighbor before walking back to go inside the apartment building.

_Well, I got some information out of her. I know I can go to her for some neighborhood gossip. She could be a valuable resource._

"Let me know if you ever need anything," Courtney called out after her with a wave.

"Thanks Courtney," Quistis replied while the door shut behind her.

After climbing the stairs, Quistis stepped back into the apartment and walked into the kitchen to make a real breakfast. The combination of an empty stomach and the wine was starting to make her feel a little bit too loose. Alcohol didn't usually effect her to this extent. She walked past Squall and brushed her fingers through his fabulously glossy hair on the way to the cupboard. Whether he reacted or not, she didn't care. She found a canister of oatmeal and set out to make herself a big bowl of it to go along with some yogurt and fruit.

"I was just talking with one of the women we met yesterday. The blonde one. I think they can both be useful sources of neighborhood information. They are gossipy. She warned me about the rash of kidnappings, so she's aware and interested in the story," Quistis explained.

"Good thinking," Squall replied, choosing to ignore the hair touching. Not acknowledging it was almost as good as it not having happened. "I was imagining that we could go out to the shopping district today and the park. Some of the women were abducted near those areas. What do you think?"

 _Maybe I can pick up a pair of those expensive looking shorts,_ Quistis thought.

"We have to start somewhere," Quistis said while taking a spoonful of yogurt and waving it in the air towards him.

* * *

While all the SeeDs were busy with their mission, or getting busy, in Irvine and Selphie's case, Rinoa sat on her bed back at Balamb Garden and worried about them. The day was in sharp contrast to the one in Deling City. It was rainy and unseasonably cold for this time of the year. The dark skies did nothing to help Rinoa's gloomy mood. She knew worrying about them would not keep them safe, but she couldn't help herself. She wasn't the sort of person who watched the news much, but she couldn't help seeing the news reports about the kidnapping lately. She didn't actively pursue it, but she saw the stories when she was looking up things to do on the computer, and watching TV. Even SeeDs passing her in the hallway were actively talking about it. It was making her uneasy. She wished they weren't away on this mission.

_Too bad I can't just use my sorceress powers to find out who is behind these kidnappings._

Rinoa held out the palm of her hand and a brief flame lit there. She smiled at being able to control her powers to this extent. It was far easier to go too big than too small with her magic. She wasn't able to control herself very well yet. Sorceress magic was a lot different than GF junctioned magic.

She snapped her hand shut and extinguished the flame while thinking of Squall's disapproval. He really didn't want her to practice magic without him nearby to act as a lifeguard/fireman/paramedic or whatever emergency personnel person she'd need when things got out of hand. And they often did.

She tried once more to use her sorceress powers to reach out and contact him with her mind, but her heart wasn't in it and she didn't feel any connection over the vast distance. There was nothing. It was a weird feeling. Like she had a hollow empty stomach, but not. She missed him.

Since the defeat of Ultimecia, Squall had not gone on many missions because of his position as Balamb Garden Commander. She knew he was upset at not being a very active, battle ready SeeD, and he wanted to get out more, but it was nice having him around all the time. Even the times he'd taken on missions, and those he oversaw, mainly SeeD exams, those only took him away from Garden for relatively short periods of time. He'd only be gone for a few days tops. She could keep herself busy for that long without going crazy. She could read, play with Angelo, or go shopping. By the time she'd indulged in all these things, Squall would be back. Her separation anxiety would melt away at his return, and she could stop worrying. She really never wanted Squall to find out just how worried and anxious she got when he left. He didn't need any more burdens than he already had. It was her own problem, she'd just have to learn to deal with it. Maybe she could get some self-help books from the library. Maybe.

This mission just really bothered her because there was no firm time-table for Squall's return. She couldn't even count down the days because she didn't know when they'd be done. She also had the added worry of Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, and Zell. She knew they would be able to take care of themselves, but it didn't stop her from fretting. The point of the mission was to get Selphie and/or Quistis kidnapped, and that was not a calming thought.

She was feeling pretty low, but she figured she should eat. She dragged herself out of her room and walked towards the cafeteria for a late breakfast. A hearty breakfast of omelets and waffles would take her mind off her troubles, for a few minutes at least. She didn't have to waste time eating daintily either, she was just going to shovel food in her mouth. Who cared anyways? She finished her giant breakfast in no time at all.

When she was done with breakfast, she decided to go down to the library to stock up on some reading materials. She had plenty of time for reading now. As she was searching through the stacks of books, Ami the library girl came up to her to chat.

"Hello Rinoa! How's your day going?" Ami asked.

"Fine. Just thought I'd grab a few books," Rinoa answered, not wanting to get into the details of how much free time she had on her hands. She didn't want to seem as pathetic as she felt.

Knowing the way that things spread around Garden, there weren't too many people that didn't know that Squall was gone on a mission and that she was left behind purposely. Although over the past year the students stopped treating her like an infection, she hadn't been able to really make friends with anybody outside of her small circle.

Ami was the closest she had to a friend outside of her group, as she would periodically hang out with Zell sometimes. If pressed Ami would say that she was Zell's girlfriend, but anyone observing outside their close circle of friends wouldn't get that impression. Actually, Zell would be the most surprised to hear that too.

"I could use some help over the next couple of days if you're free. We just got in a ton of new books that I need to sort, but I also need to organize the library. It's been a while since anyone has gone through and weeded out the old books that no one has read," Ami said.

It didn't particularly sound like fun, but Ami was trying to involve Rinoa in something. Ami knew that Rinoa had been left behind and she looked pretty mopey and unkempt. If Rinoa had looked down, she would have noticed that there was some syrup dribbled down the front of her shirt.

"That might be fun," Rinoa said sadly.

 _At least it will keep me busy for a while and keep my thoughts off of Squall,_ Rinoa thought.

"Good, come here whenever you can. I'll appreciate any help you can give," Ami said sincerely and with a slight note of concern.

Rinoa had periodically lent a hand to help keep the library up. She volunteered so often that she might as well be on the payroll. Ami was one of the few people that took pride in the books that the library had. Most cadets and SeeDs didn't find the need to even use the library unless they were given an assignment that required it.

Rinoa nodded her head at Ami and left the library. She spent the rest of the day reading and getting lost in stories. Anything to not think about her own life for a little while was okay by her. She nearly felt content, maybe her time apart from Squall wouldn't be too bad. She could only hope.

* * *

At the same time that Rinoa was looking for books, Selphie pulled Irvine along on the warm cement sidewalk of Deling City. The sun had been baking the ground for hours, and its heat was radiating outward uncomfortably, turning the day from being relatively comfortable to one that was hot and humid. Some might even call it miserable. The bus fumes and humidity perhaps would dampen a normal person's spirits, or at least their hair, but Selphie Tilmitt, AKA Cassidy Pine, was not a normal person. Her hair and personality were as buoyant as ever.

Due to her bubbly personality, and the fact that she was practically dragging Irvine along behind her, many couples stopped and gawked at the site of a wealthy young lady flirting with a young man. She was definitely doing a good job of getting noticed. She had turned this mission into a game in order to make it more fun, and she wanted to beat Squall and Quistis by getting kidnapped first.

"Butch darling! Let's go get some ice cream to cool off!" she said dramatically while dropping his arm and doing a little spin in her light summer dress.

She was wearing a short sleeveless green dress with strappy leather sandals. The outfit was topped off with expensive looking jewelry, and a designer handbag. Irvine wore pressed khaki shorts and a white button-up shirt, although it was only buttoned halfway. His look was completed by wearing boating shoes with no socks and designer sunglasses. He was glad for the sunglasses, his eyes were still strained from the night before, and he was unused to not having a wide-brimmed hat on for shade.

"Slow down Cassie-honey," he drawled. "The ice cream can wait a minute."

Squall had once told Irvine he was too lax, and he was right. Irvine wasn't even looking out for possible suspects. All he was thinking about was the paid 'vacation' he was having with Selphie. He assumed right from the start that Squall and Quistis would be the ones catching the kidnappers. He was just there as unnecessary back up. Squall could probably do the whole mission single-handedly, and then he was paired with Quistis. They would be unstoppable. They would certainly take care of business. It was the only thing they really knew how to do. Irvine's specialty was more along the lines of pleasure rather than business. Although his current state wasn't particularly pleasurable.

He sighed. The heat and humidity were getting to him. Although he had lived in Galbadia for years, the beautiful and temperate weather of Balamb had softened his tolerance for a Galbadian summer. He took a second to catch his breath. The humidity was oppressive.

He stopped in the shade and leaned against a store's glass window front. The glass felt pleasantly cool on his back. Selphie turned around to look towards him. She gave him an adorable stare and started walking towards him with feeling. She probably was going to give him a bear hug and another round of machine gun kisses until he could hardly breathe.

 _Wow, again? Selphie never lets up. I can't handle anymore cuddling right now,_ Irvine thought to himself with a wince.

Right when he thought she was going in for a hug, she instead rushed up to the window next to him and started making cooing noises. Irvine turned around to see what she was looking at. In the store window was a basketful of little puppies. She smashed her nose to the window and started talking in gibberish.

"Oooshy boooooshy widdle piddle puppy dogs!" she said with a squeal.

 _Oh no! I stopped right in front of a pet store,_ Irvine thought. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

"Cassie, let's go get some ice cream! I bet you can't eat a whole triple scoop banana split with fudge sauce and cherries! Actually I dare you to! Let's go do that!" Irvine said while trying to distract her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Unfortunately she didn't hear a word of it. She was mesmerized by their little puppy faces and teeny tiny puppy feet. They were so soft and fluffy looking. They were irresistible. She HAD to get one. Selphie the SeeD couldn't get a pet, but Cassidy Pine sure could!

Selphie straightened up her back and took a few slow blinks before suddenly turning to run into the store. The sound of her leather sandals slapping the cement was followed by the store's door slamming shut. Irvine hurried in after her grateful at least for the air conditioning. He braced himself for the inevitable.

An hour later they were walking down towards the park with ice cream cones. It was just according to plan, except for the addition of a tiny dog in Selphie's arms. It was hard to tell it was even a dog. It looked like a tiny puff ball with adorable eyes. Irvine thought it looked like a little puffy fox. It actually was pretty cute, but it was a shame that it yipped loudly at everything it passed whether it be a person, another dog, or even a harmless fly. It was going to be a major headache, he just knew it.

The dog tried to take a lick of Selphie's ice cream cone.

"Bad Cookie! You can't have momma's ice cream! That's people food! PEOPLE FOOD!" Selphie said while trying to discipline the dog. She was pretend-married, and this was going to be her pretend-baby.

The little fluff ball looked up sadly at her. Selphie couldn't stand when people looked at her with puppy dog eyes, so she was completely defenseless against an actual puppy dog.

"Oh, that's okay Cookie. You can have a little lick," she said while tipping the strawberry ice cream cone closer to the dog's face while rocking the dog back and forth like a baby. The dog started to lick excitedly. Ice cream smeared across its tiny nose.

As the dog licked her ice cream Irvine cringed in horror. He wasn't a neat freak like Squall, or even a germaphobe in general, but that was pretty disgusting. Really, really disgusting.

_Maybe she will let the dog eat the rest of it. Maybe she won't take a lick after the dog. Maybe... YUCK! Now she's eating the ice cream! Oh and now the dog is licking her whole face. She's covered in dog saliva!_

Selphie started giggling out loud.

"Oh Butch! I'm having such a lovely day!" she said while walking up towards him for a big kiss with happy gleaming eyes.

 _Please don't touch me with that mouth!_ was all Irvine could think as she reached up towards his face.

* * *

Squall squinted against the sun while surveying the park. He'd been through the shopping district with Quistis already, and now they were taking a stroll. Many other couples were doing the same thing. It was summertime, and Deling City was a major city and a destination on the Galbadian continent. People played frisbee, ate ice cream cones, took pictures, or just laughed and enjoyed the day. Squall did not look like he was enjoying himself, neither did Quistis.

"Walter, let's sit down on that bench," she said while pointing to a bench in the shade that was just vacated by another couple.

They walked over and sat down. She was tired and hot. Squall looked completely untroubled by the heat. He was probably even cooler than usual. He was wearing a short sleeved light button up shirt with thin khaki pants. That must be chilly compared to his usual fur-lined leather jacket that he wore in sunny and tropical Balamb.

 _I wonder why he always wears that fur-lined jacket. It isn't like it's cold in Balamb. I guess I don't know as much about Squall as I thought I did,_ Quistis mused to herself.

"Walter, what do you want to do next?" she asked while looping her arm through his and leaning into his side.

He tried not to tense up at Quistis touching his bare skin. He wasn't used to wearing so little clothing, and she was just doing her job.

Quistis could feel his arm muscles become rigid beneath her touch. She smiled at him pretending like he was happy to be with her. She knew Squall wasn't the most normal man on the planet, but this was hurting her feelings.

 _Am I that terrible to be near?_ she thought in annoyance while smiling at him.

A high pitched yipping sound could be heard in the distance. If they hadn't been so preoccupied with each other, they could have turned around and seen Selphie chasing after a little fluffy dog with Irvine frantically chasing after her.

"Kiki, why don't you go get us some frozen lemonades," Squall replied while handing her some Gil.

While Quistis got up and walked away, Squall continued to think about the mission. He'd felt that they had been doing a fairly good job considering it was their first full day. He certainly had been doing his research, and they were getting out and about all over town. He kept his eyes on Quistis and watched to see if anybody suspicious was looking her over as she walked to the frozen lemonade stand. He had to find out who was kidnapping these women, and soon.

The only weakness in this pairing was himself. He knew he wasn't a good actor, and Quistis was pulling more than her fair share on that front. He decided he'd work even harder on researching places to go and things to do. The whole situation was uncomfortable. Even though he was Balamb Garden's Commander, he still felt as if he were Quistis Trepe's student when she was near him. It was a weird feeling. He was leading, but he also wanted her approval of his actions. He didn't want to let her down, but he was uncomfortable.

_Well, I'll make it up by doing a good job. Tonight, I'll check in with Zell and see how things are going on the surveillance side. I have to stay focused. I don't want to be here indefinitely. The sooner we catch the criminals, the sooner we can all stop pretending._

Later that night when Squall and Quistis had walked their feet sore, ridden the bus until they couldn't stand it anymore, and checked out all the local restaurants, they finally made their way back to their apartment. They were only briefly detained by Courtney and Victoria when they were trying to pass them on the front porch. Although Squall felt uncomfortable talking to them, he knew he had to keep open and friendly communication with them. He had to keep up his cover and they could be used for information.

The only downside was that they were really nosy, and they could maybe tell that Squall and Quistis were not actually married. Squall just wanted to blend in, but he could tell that he wasn't doing a great job at it. He was going to have to make up some lies when they realized he wasn't going to work every day. His back-story was that he did freelance consulting. That sounded pretty vague and boring. He'd have to figure out how to make that believable to them although he didn't want to waste valuable time keeping up that front. Quistis could get away with being a rich homemaker and beautiful blond trophy wife, but Squall had to fake it.

Squall walked to the back bedroom while Quistis went to the kitchen to get some water. He picked up the phone and called through a secure line. He waited for Zell to pick up. It kept ringing.

* * *

Zell sat in his chair while glancing up at the computer monitors all around him. He hadn't noticed anything suspicious going on in any of the feeds yet, if he ever would. He wasn't sure this plan was going to work. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He stood up and stretched out his body before going to his mattress to flop down on his back. Sitting down so much was difficult for somebody who was used to a lot of strenuous physical activity. Especially when that person was as naturally hyper as Zell. He reached out and grabbed a candy bar that he'd gotten earlier at a convenience store. He needed some sugary energy to keep going. He unwrapped the candy bar and nearly popped the whole thing in his mouth. When he was still chewing he balled up the wrapper and threw it to the floor.

 _What's the point of keeping this place clean? No matter what I do, it's still dirty looking,_ he thought to himself while putting his arms behind his head.

The loud ringing of his phone made him sit up. It had to either be Garden or one of the SeeDs. He jumped up and walked towards his desk. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said slowly.

"Hello, is this Jack Smith?" Squall said.

"Oh yea, hey Squall," Zell said with a smile. It was only the first full day, and he had already gotten lonely.

"Yes, this is Walter Rivers," Squall said.

_Okay, I guess he's going to play this newlywed game the whole mission._

"Hey... Walter," Zell said.

"How are you doing?" Squall said.

_Okay, that means Squall wants a run down on everything I've done today. The mission leader is always down to business._

"Walter, everything is fine. I got some new computers for my job, and my home office is totally functional now. The picture quality is great and so is the audio. I'm really glad I got these computers."

Zell hoped he'd understand that the technical surveillance aspect was up and running.

"I haven't watched anything fun or interesting yet though, just some boring family sitcoms about married life. I'll let you know when I do find something interesting. I know you like to keep up with good movies and TV shows. Especially the gritty crime ones... the ones about kidnapping..."

"Yes, Jack that's fine," Squall cut him off. Zell was being overly clear even if this was a secure line.

"My neighborhood is... interesting. I'll let you know if I make any... friends. I know you are always looking for new and interesting... friends," Zell said unsure of how much more Squall would want to hear.

"That's great to hear that you are doing well Jack. I'll keep in touch with you from time to time. You have my number if you need to contact me. I look forward to speaking with you again. Good night," Squall finished.

"Uh, bye?" Zell said.

Squall hung up the phone.

Zell knew Squall wanted this mission to be over, but so did he. Loneliness was stressful for somebody as happy and sociable as Zell. He was going to be their eyes and ears and hurry this mission to its conclusion. He wasn't too sure if Irvine and Selphie would feel the same way, or even Quistis. He'd been watching Squall and Quistis through the surveillance footage, and wow, was that set up awkward. He said he'd been watching a boring family sitcom about married life, but it wasn't boring, and it was more of a tense soap opera anyway. He'd kept all the audio down so he didn't listen in on their specific conversations, but would be alerted to anything close to screaming. He didn't want to be any creepier than this mission required.

He just sat back and continued to watch his long soap opera while eating junk food. Hopefully the drama would start to pick up soon.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on FFN from June 29, 2015 - May 25, 2016.
> 
> And disclaimer for the entire story: This is a work of fanfiction. I do NOT own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. This is just for fun.


End file.
